Middle mesenteric artery: contraindication to endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm?

Middle mesenteric artery has been described in 1923. We report the observation of a patient with an abdominal aortic aneurysm who had this rare artery arising from the anterior wall of the aneurysmal sac. His inferior mesenteric artery was occluded at its origin from the aorta and the middle and the distal colon was vascularized only by the middle mesenteric artery. Occlusion of this artery would have been necessary before endovascular repair of the aneurysm. We were concerned about the risk of colic ischemia after the occlusion of the middle mesenteric artery, so we abandoned this approach and operated on the patient via a laparotomy. Based on a case report, we here report a literature overview on the repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm in the presence of a middle mesenteric artery.

César Roux--Swiss pioneer in surgery.

César Roux of Lausanne, Switzerland, typified the pioneers in surgery at the turn of the nineteenth century. He was inspired by his mentor Theodor Kocher of Berne and the surgeons Theodor Billroth and Richard von Volkmann. Although he is best known for the Roux-en-Y loop, the first esophagojejunostomy and the first adrenalectomy are also evidence of his innovative approach to operative surgery. Despite his many contributions and honors he remained a surgeon in the field. His exemplary career is recalled here.

Free perforation of gastric carcinoma. Results of surgical treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To define by actual standards the results of treatment of free perforation of gastric carcinoma in a consecutive number of patients treated at one institution. DESIGN: Case series of patients with perforated adenocarcinoma of the stomach treated in Hong Kong between 1984 and 1992. SETTING: Urban academic medical center. PATIENTS: Thirty-four Chinese patients who were operated on for perforated gastric carcinoma. A risk scoring system was used to predict postoperative mortality. Factors with a possible influence on postoperative mortality and long-term survival were studied using univariate and multivariate analysis. INTERVENTION: All patients underwent laparotomy, which was performed for closure of the perforation in four patients and for gastrectomy in 30. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thirty-day mortality and survival times. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality rate was 20%, and the median survival time was 10 months (range, 2 to 92 months). The risk score was the only significant predictor of 30-day mortality, and the pathologic TNM staging, of long-term survival. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of patients can be saved and offered good palliation with emergency gastrectomy; those likely to die can be identified before surgery.

Acute thrombosis of the splanchnic veins.

The consequence of an acute thrombosis in the splanchnic veins on the viability of the intestine has not been well defined in the literature. Spontaneous recovery or total necrosis of the bowel have both been described. We treated seven patients with thrombosis of the splanchnic veins and adopted a surgical approach in three patients with extended and complete thrombosis of the superior mesenteric vein, portal vein, and splenic vein, while four patients with partial thrombosis of the superior mesenteric vein or protal vein recovered with conservative treatment. A 22-year literature review has identified 64 cases of acute thrombosis in the splanchnic veins, with complete information regarding the location and extent of the thrombosis, the treatment, and the outcome. Different anatomical patterns of thrombosis with mortality rates varying between 0% and 76% seem to be related to the extent and completeness of venous obstruction.

Changing patterns in the vascular form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

We report and analyze two cases of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) type 4. The first manifestation of the disease was a spontaneous perforation of the colon in a 47-year-old man; he was successfully reoperated on five years later for the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Abdominal pain demonstrated the syndrome in a 33-year-old woman in whom multiple abdominal aneurysms were found. A ligation of the anterior tibial artery for spontaneous rupture was performed five years later. Light and electron microscopic studies of the skin disclosed similar alterations in both cases. The diameter of the collagen fiber bundles was reduced and the diameter of collagen fibrils was increased. It appears that EDS type 4 might be less characteristic than has been previously described. Classification of the different types of EDS according to electron microscopy is not possible.

Recurrent cholangitis with and without anastomotic stricture after biliary-enteric bypass.

We recently surgically treated 24 patients incapacitated by recurrent cholangitis after biliary-enteric anastomosis performed for benign disease. Contrary to commonly held dogma, as many as one third of the patients had no evidence of anastomotic stricture indicated by radiologic and operative findings. We identified several other primary and coexistent pathogenetic factors including intrahepatic stricture in 42% of the patients, intrahepatic calculi in 25%, improperly constructed enteric conduits in 13%, and conditions that predispose to bacterial overgrowth in the biliary tree in 17%. Seventy-one percent of the patients had multiple etiologic factors, and of those patients without demonstrable anastomotic stricture, intrahepatic stricture was particularly common. Seventy-one percent remained symptom-free in their first year after operation. The most difficult situation to manage, and the factor responsible for most recurrences after our reoperation, involved intrahepatic stricture. A combined surgical and interventional radiologic approach to complex cases may be useful in selected patients.

Long-term follow-up after a distal splenorenal shunt procedure. A clinical and hemodynamic study.

Of 26 patients who underwent distal splenorenal shunting 4 or more years ago (1969 to 1978), 10 died 3 to 87 months postoperatively (mean 38.5 months). Six deaths were due to liver failure, two to hemorrhagic peptic ulcer disease (the shunt remained patent in each patient), one to brain hemorrhage, and one to sepsis. Eight of the surviving patients resumed professional activity, one showed transient signs of encephalopathy, one had a single episode of recurrent variceal bleeding that could be managed conservatively, and no patient had ascites. Eight patients were investigated angiographically and endoscopically. Preoperative and postoperative measurements of the portal vein showed a decreased diameter in five patients and no opacification in the other three 29 to 97 months after surgery. At endoscopy four patients had small residual esophageal varices, one patient had none, and the other three had large varicosities with variceal pressures between 30 and 40 cm H2O in two and above 40 cm H2O in one. Although the incidence of postoperative encephalopathy and variceal bleeding was low after distal splenorenal shunting, the operation did not prevent a decrease in hepatopetal portal flow and did not always abolish the esophageal varices.

Endoscopic noninvasive manometry of esophageal varices: prognostic significance.

Our study attempts to establish a relation between the pressure in the esophageal varices and the clinical outcome in 18 patients in whom sclerotherapy for bleeding esophageal varices was performed. The measured pressure was compared to the endoscopic findings. Before sclerotherapy, a noninvasive manometric measurement was performed on the varices using a spheric membrane manometer fixed at the tip of an endoscope. Twelve of our 18 patients suffered repeated hemorrhage which led to death in five. We discovered a relation between the measured pressure and the outcome. Beside this, we measured the highest pressures in the largest varices. The relation that seems to exist between the pressure in the esophageal varices, the endoscopic findings, and the severity of the portal hypertension may provide new opportunities for research in this field.

Multiple tumors of the biliary tract.

Multiple synchronous tumors of the extrahepatic biliary tree are not frequently reported. Over a 2-year period, 54 operative procedures were performed for tumors of the extrahepatic biliary tract or periampullary region. In five of these cases, unsuspected tumors were observed. Of these, one patient had multiple benign papillomatosis of the extrahepatic biliary tree. All four of the other patients were found to have unsuspected small carcinomas of the gallbladder in association with mid- or low bile duct cancer. Multiple tumors of the extrahepatic biliary apparatus may occur more frequently than previously thought, and the incidence of unsuspected gallbladder cancer in association with bile duct cancer may be high. These tumors should be suspected and looked for in each instance by intraoperative endoscopy and careful histologic examination of the gallbladder.

Magnetic resonance angiography of abdominal vessels: early experience using the three-dimensional phase-contrast technique.

Based on three-dimensional acquisition of three sequences sensitive to one flow-direction, abdominal magnetic resonance phase-contrast angiography (MRA) was performed in 13 volunteers and 20 patients. The subjects received no antiperistaltic medication and were allowed to breath normally during the three acquisition periods of 11 minutes. The frequency of demonstration of the normal aorta, superior mesenteric and right and left renal arteries was 100%/100%/91%/100%, and of the inferior vena cava, splenic, superior mesenteric and portal veins was 92%/67%/92%/100%, respectively, whereas other abdominal vessels were seen less constantly. In renal artery stenosis or occlusion, MRA detected eight out of nine pathological arteries, missed only a minimal stenosis and was never false positive. In all 10 cases of portal hypertension, MRA demonstrated the venous collaterals detected by conventional angiography and in six cases showed more collaterals, particularly paravertebral vessels. A Budd-Chiari syndrome was investigated as well. If the accuracy of MRA can be proved in larger studies, it may become an important diagnostic tool in evaluating abdominal vascular pathology, such as renal artery stenosis or portal hypertension.

Surgical treatment of synchronous hepatocellular and esophageal carcinoma: case report and review of literature.

Simultaneous presentation of hepatocellular carcinoma and esophageal carcinoma is rare. Few cases have been reported as surgically curable. We treated a caucasian man of 68 years who presented a voluminous hepatocellular carcinoma in the right lobe of the liver and a superficial squamous cell carcinoma of the middle third of the esophagus. Both tumors seemed curable with surgery. We adopted a treatment consisting of two steps: 1) curative hepatic right trisegmentectomy; 2) three months later transhiatal esophagectomy. Two units of blood were transfused for both operations. Simultaneous hepatectomy and esophagectomy have been published in seven cases. We opted for resecting the tumors in two distinct procedures to lower the operative risk. Because of the large size of the hepatocellular carcinoma and the small size of the esophageal carcinoma, hepatectomy was performed first. The delay between the two interventions did not compromise the prognosis that is actually dependent of the hepatocellular carcinoma.

Initial experience with the harmonic scalpel in liver surgery.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatectomies are generally performed using a crushing clamp or by finger fracture. New instruments such as ultrasonic aspirators or water jet dissectors are increasingly used for precise dissection of intrahepatic structures. An ultrasonically activated scalpel has been introduced, mainly for laparoscopic procedures. The potential of this instrument in liver surgery remains to be defined. METHODOLOGY: In a prospective study, we have tested the harmonic scalpel (Ultracision, Ethicon Endo-surgery) in 16 consecutive patients undergoing liver surgery. The ease of parenchymal dissection and the hemostatic effect of the ultrasonically vibrating blade was assessed in each operation. Blood loss and transfusions were recorded. RESULTS: One patient underwent excision of a liver cyst and 15 patients 16 hepatectomies for colorectal metastases (7 cases), hepatocarcinoma (5 cases) and other benign or malignant conditions (4 cases). The liver was cirrhotic in 4 cases. The performance of the harmonic scalpel for dissection, cutting and hemostasis was good or excellent in 16 operations, and poor in 1 hepatectomy in a cirrhotic liver. Median blood loss was 400 mL (range: 0-1200 mL) and 4 patients received blood transfusions. CONCLUSIONS: The harmonic scalpel allows efficient section of liver parenchyma, precise dissection of intrahepatic structures, good hemostasis and section of small intrahepatic vessels.

Strain gauge plethysmographic studies after clipping of the inferior vena cava.

Assessment of the hemodynamic effects of the IVC clipping by strain gauge plethysmography provides accurate quantitative data. These correlate very well with the other means of investigation used in the study. Eight patients were controlled in the Vascular Laboratory 9 to 43 months after clipping of the inferior vena cava. They submitted to clinical evaluation, Doppler ultrasound, isotopic venography, abdominal sonography, and strain gauge plethysmography of the lower extremities. This last method provided quantitative data; maximal venous outflow was found to be equivalent in the 8 patients included in the study and in a control group of 20 healthy young volunteers. Strain gauge plethysmography results correlate well with the other means of investigation and demonstrate the efficacy of the dilated venous collateral channels in restoring a normal venous return.

Aorto-intestinal fistula after reconstructive arterial surgery.

In a group of 184 patients with synthetic, arterial bifurcation grafts, we have performed 16 operations for distal anastomotic pseudo-aneurysms and 11 for proximal anastomotic pseudoaneurysms. Four of the latter were encountered in three patients and took the form of aorto-intestinal fistulae. Excision of the arterial prosthesis, suture of the intestinal orifice and insertion of a new extra-anatomic bypass seems to be the treatment of choice. However, excision of an aortobifemoral prosthesis and replacement in situ with a new prosthesis or even suture of the aortic fistula with a patch represent acceptable treatment in certain particular situations.

Superinfected actinomycotic abscess of the liver.

Isolated actinomycotic liver abscess is rare. We report a case with fulminant evolution, which was treated successfully with surgery and penicillin. In human actinomycosis, Actinomyces israeli is the main infective agent. An abdominal localisation is uncommon, occurring in less than 25% of cases. Isolated liver lesions are extremely rare; their presence might be interpreted as the result of the hematogenous spread of a no longer present intestinal lesion. The evolution of actinomycosis is usually torpid. In the present case, mixed infection with Fusobacterium nucleatum might explain the acute evolution.

Chronic pancreatic pleural effusions and ascites.

The occurrence of pleural effusion or ascites, secondary to internal pancreatic fistula, is a rare clinical syndrome and diagnosis is, therefore, often missed. The fluid accumulation has been attributed to disruption of the pancreatic duct or to rupture of a pseudocyst. In a 20 year period, 106 patients were hospitalized in the department of surgery, CHUV, with a diagnosis of chronic or chronic relapsing pancreatitis, and 77 with that of pancreatic pseudocyst. During this time, five patients with chronic pancreatic and pleural or peritoneal effusions have been observed. These five cases present a good pattern of the possible causes and evolution of the disease. Wirsungography is of great value for the surgical management of these patients, allowing the right technique to be chosen for each particular case. Surgery caused disappearance of the effusions in our five patients.

Portal pressure measurements before and after Hassab's decongestion operation. A preliminary report.

This preliminary study included five patients with a history of haematemesis resulting from rupture of oesophageal varices complicating schistosomal hepatic fibrosis. Simultaneous measurements were taken of the endoscopic variceal pressure (EVP) and the free portal pressure (FPP) obtained by the cannulation of a mesenteric vein radical. These measurements were taken after laparotomy, after removing the spleen and after devascularization of the lower oesophagus and upper two thirds of the stomach. At the beginning the EVP was found to be identical with the FPP. Following splenectomy, the EVP dropped from a mean of 41.9 cm H2O to a mean of 25.8 cm H2O, whereas the FPP dropped from 40.7 cm H2O to 27.8 cm H2O. After decongestion, the EVP had a mean of 21.3 cm H2O and the FPP had a mean of 32 cm H2O. Two weeks after the operation the EVP remained unchanged at the end of the operation in two cases and increased by 5 cm H2O in one case. Accordingly it was concluded that Hassab's operation results in an immediate diminution of the EVP and FPP. However, the long-term results of this operation required further studies.

Resection of metastases to the alimentary tract from malignant melanoma.

Metastases to the celio-mesenteric organs from malignant melanoma are studied retrospectively in 22 autopsied cases and in seven surgically treated patients. Metastatic disease to one or more celio-mesenteric organs was found in 86.3% of postmortem examinations: the liver was the most frequently involved organ, followed by the pancreas, peritoneum, small bowel, biliary tract spleen, colon and stomach, in that order. Surgery only resulted in long-term asymptomatic survival in those patients with a long relapse-free interval and a single metastasis. It is concluded that, apart from cases with intestinal obstruction or massive GI bleeding, resection should be reserved for patients with a relapse-free interval of at least 15 months and with a single "alimentary" metastasis. It is suggested that diagnosis of systemic spread at the asymptomatic stage would improve prognosis of stage IV malignant melanoma.

[Cephalic duodenopancreatectomy with preservation of pancreaticoduodenal arcades in coeliac trunk occlusion]. / Duodénopancréatectomie céphalique respectant les arcades pancréaticoduodénales en cas d'occlusion du tronc coeliaque.

In the case of complete occlusion of the coeliac trunk, the hepatic and splenic arterial blood supply is ensured by the superior mesenteric artery. Interruption of this collateral circulation by pancreaticoduodenectomy carries a risk of hepatic ischaemia and anastomotic leaks. In addition to the various techniques of coeliac trunk revascularization, preservation of the gastroduodenal artery and pancreaticoduodenal arcades may help to preserve the arterial blood supply. The authors report the case of a 58-year-old female with a benign tumour of the pancreatic head and partially corrected coeliac trunk occlusion. Pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed with preservation of the pancreaticoduodenal arcades and gastroduodenal artery.

[Liver transplantation: results with living donors]. / Transplantation hépatique: expérience avec donneurs vivants.

Liver transplantation with harvesting of the graft from living related donors is a new technique. It was introduced in 1989 as a response to the shortage of donor organs for small children in the west and to the complete absence of such organs in Japan. Results have been as good as for transplantation from cadaveric donors. Our experience confirms these results and shows that this technique, so far restricted to small children in most cases, can also be extended to adults in selected cases.